


Save You

by mallardeer



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2019-02-11 12:47:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12935604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mallardeer/pseuds/mallardeer
Summary: What if, while watching Kara get destroyed by Reign, James accidentally said her name out loud? What kind of action would that spur Lena to?





	Save You

**Author's Note:**

> Here I am, back to my old habit of writing alternate endings to episodes that have terrible endings! Nothing super shippy in here, but you can choose to see it if you like!

They’re both frozen—in shock, in horror—as they watch this menace absolutely pummel Supergirl. James unconsciously grabs her hand, and she grips right back. When Supergirl climbs unsteadily to her feet, they see she’s bleeding, and James bleats one anguished word: “Kara.”

“Kara?” Lena repeats, tearing her gaze away from the terrifying fight to frown at James.

He doesn’t even hear her.

And Lena reels, stumbling away from him, as the truth she’s been blind to for more than a year crashes down around her. The figure before her, unexpectedly fighting for her life, is not some unknowable, alien being. She is Kara Danvers.

Lena’s heart jumps into her throat. “James! James, we have to help her,” she yells, desperate, and she tugs on his hand, and he follows her blindly—though what either of them could possibly do, she doesn’t know.

James can’t have a plan either, but he clearly hates watching this carnage as much as she does, and so he lets her pull them into the fray. They stare as the alien effortlessly sends Kara crashing to the ground again, wincing in sympathy. When she doesn’t get up right away, Lena sees her chance. Refusing to second guess herself, refusing to look anywhere but right in front of her, she strides to Kara and stands before her, shoulders thrown back.

“Lena!” James shouts, voice going high with panic as he realizes just what they’re in the middle of. “What are you doing?”

Ignoring him, she looks directly at Kara’s attacker, grits her teeth, and spits, “Stop. This.”

“Lena Luthor, get out of here,” Kara rumbles behind her.

But Lena Luthor is not afraid anymore. She’s not afraid of this alien who is so close to killing Supergirl. She’s not afraid to die—it’s been a long time since she was afraid to die. She is only afraid of doing nothing but watching while another alien force destroys her city—and her best friend.

The alien is studying Lena now, Supergirl forgotten for the moment—just as Lena had hoped. She’s fairly certain this is the end. After all, this woman has the power to critically wound Supergirl, and Lena is just…Lena.

So she makes her peace, and she makes her stand, and she prepares to die, knowing that at least she might be remembered as the Luthor who tried to save Supergirl.

“And who are you?” the woman asks, voice suddenly faltering.

Lena wonders, briefly, about the hesitance, but finds most of her energy is required to keep herself upright—and conscious. She may not be afraid to die, but her body suddenly is.

“Lena,” Kara says again, using James to pull herself to her feet. “Go. James, take her and go.” She is begging, and Lena’s heart starts to crack. But James stays right at Kara’s side, and Lena remains in front of her.

“I,” she proclaims to Kara’s masked enemy, “am someone who is not going to sit idly by while you destroy my home—or my friend. If you want Supergirl, you will have to go through me.”

“Yeah! Leave Supergirl alone!” comes a shout from a child on the sidewalk, and then all of a sudden, three of the bystanders are beside Lena, and she almost faints from shock.

“No, no, no,” Kara warns, voice full of anguish. “Please, stay back, stay back.”

But then the most marvelous thing happens: everyone out in the street surges to stand with Lena between their hero and her attacker. Lena hears Kara sob behind her, and clenches her hands into fists.

“Whoever you are, are you ready to take down a mob of weak, unarmed humans to get to Supergirl?” Lena asks, swallowing the shakiness she’s beginning to feel now that there’s a chance she might not actually die. “Are you that depraved? Because if you are, then we’ve nothing left to lose.”

“Lena Luthor,” the woman says, and Lena nods once. “I’ll remember that name.”

And then she is gone.

The crowd turns to Supergirl, who is still holding onto James, who still looks so frightened. “You…” she murmurs, speechless, as they wait for her words. And she knows that the city needs this from her, so she pulls herself together, stands up straight, and becomes their hero again.

“Thank you,” she says loudly, radiating gratitude. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay you all for risking your lives for me. But I will continue to try to do so every single day for the rest of my life. Now, please, go home. Stay safe. We’ll win this fight.”

There’s a cheer and some applause, and then they all hear the screech of sirens. All kinds of law enforcement has arrived, and the people eagerly begin to thread their way home.

As the crowd disperses, Supergirl grabs Lena and pulls her into a very tight hug. “Don’t you ever, ever do that again,” she says, her voice rough with tears she’s holding back.

Lena collapses, the adrenaline draining from her body, and hangs her arms limply around her friend’s neck. “I can’t lose you, Kara,” she murmurs, and clutches her tighter.

Then Kara’s sister is there, barely managing to keep it together when she sees how battered Kara is. “I’m fine. Alex, I’m fine,” Kara says reassuringly, still holding tight to Lena.

“We need to get you back,” Alex says meaningfully, glancing worriedly at Lena.

“Yes,” Kara agrees, releasing Lena only to grab her hand. “Lead the way.”

“Lena? Are you all right?” Alex asks, and Lena nods.

“She just saved my life, Alex. She’s coming back with us,” Kara says, and Alex capitulates immediately.

James follows them, a comforting presence at their backs, and Kara is gripping Lena’s hand so tightly she starts to worry she’s cutting off circulation. But she says nothing. Because just the word “Kara” is beating in her head in time with her heartbeat. “Kara, Kara, Kara.”

This isn’t an alien, a superhero, even a friend. This is Kara.

It’s going to be a while before Lena can figure out how to process this.

Alex takes them to some government building, telling James to stay with Lena, while she whisks Kara away to be examined and patched up. “How’re you holding up?” James asks, putting a tentative arm around her.

She accepts his comfort eagerly and leans into him. “I’m not entirely sure how I’m still standing,” she says with a shaky laugh.

“That was incredibly brave,” he says. “Incredibly stupid, but… Brave all the same.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be a Luthor if I weren’t dangerously reckless,” she says dryly. She looks up at him, and he smiles at her. Whatever spark had kindled between them seems to have settled into a warm ember, and that’s much more manageable than misguided passion.

 _Kara, Kara, Kara,_ her heart still beats.

“Actually, I’m kind of jealous,” James admits. “And ashamed. I was so scared I couldn’t move. And you just went and faced off with that alien…” His voice is full of admiration, and Lena can’t take that, so she hides her face in his coat.

“You got me to do it,” Lena says, lifting her head up. “You said her name.”

“I said her…name,” James repeats, eyes growing wide as he realizes which name he said. “Oh. Shit.”

Lena laughs and reaches up to smooth his lapels. “It’s all right. I believe our friendship is stronger than a secret identity debacle,” she says with a lightness she’s not sure if she actually feels. _Kara, Kara, Kara,_ her heart reminds her.

“She should have been the one to tell you,” James says regretfully. “I know she was feeling really conflicted about keeping this from you.”

She shrugs. “Well. We’re certain to have a long talk once this whole situation is handled.”

“Hey! I heard Kara was—is she—?” comes a new voice, and Lena turns. “Lena?” he says, surprised.

“…Mon-El?” she replies, blinking.

“Hey,” he says, only a little awkwardly. “Uh.” He looks at James, who just shakes his head.

“How are you here?” she demands, and he smiles sheepishly.

“Uh… I escaped the planet in the pod I came in, went through a wormhole, traveled a thousand years into the future…and then 12,000 years into the past. Oh! Also, LCorp cures the lead poisoning issue, so thanks,” he says brightly, and Lena sputters with disbelief.

“Well. I guess… You’re welcome?” she says, and he grins.

“But what about Kara? Is she okay? Everyone went flying out of here twenty minutes ago.”

“Yeah, she should be okay,” James says, while Lena still stares at Mon-El.

She’s been dealing with the guilt of killing Kara’s boyfriend for months, and now here he is. Alive. Almost as if no time has passed. Almost as if she hadn’t destroyed her best friend’s happiness with one small device.

Her mind starts to reel, but her heart persists with its new refrain. _Kara, Kara, Kara._

“Kara didn’t mention that you were back,” she says dumbly, and he kind of grimaces.

“It’s…even more complicated than that brief summary I gave you,” he says sadly.

“Well, I’ve got nothing but time, Mon-El,” she says expectantly, and James barks a laugh.

She elbows him, and he puts his arm around her waist for a moment, then steps back. Lena’s heart continues tapping out its rhythm in two syllables, and she has no room to think about James. So now she focuses on Mon-El.

“Oh, uh, well. Sure. So it’s been a couple of months here, right, since my mother ruined everything? Well, I lived on Earth in the 31st century for seven years before…we ended up back here.”

“We?” Lena asks, and he makes an uncomfortable face again.

“Uh, fellow…travelers. And well, my wife. Imra.”

“Ah,” Lena says slowly. Even after everything she got wrapped up in this past summer, Mon-El’s story is still hard to process. “So that’s why Kara hasn’t shared the good news. Well, as someone who almost had to marry you, I hope Imra knows what she’s gotten into.”

Mon-El kind of blanches before he realizes she’s kidding, and then he laughs. “Well. It is good to see you, Lena,” he says.

“And you, Mon-El,” she replies.

There is certainly going to be a lot to talk to Kara about when this is all over.

\--

She wakes up in the DEO medbay in the dark, and there are bandages on her face and hands. Bandages. “What?” she mutters, sitting up, and it all comes rushing back.

Reign. The city. Her own blood, dark and visible and terrifying. And something else…

Lena.

“Lena!” she shouts before she can help herself, and then Alex is at her side, a comforting hand on her forehead.

“Lena is fine,” her sister says gently. “James took her home about an hour ago. It was almost impossible to get her to leave.”

“What about Reign? What is happening? Is the city—?”

“Everything is quiet for now,” Alex soothes, checking her bandages. “All healed up,” she pronounces, and begins to remove them.

“Alex. Alex, she is so strong,” Kara frets. “Stronger than Kal, stronger than me.”

“We’ll figure it out, Kara,” Alex promises. “You need to rest for a while longer.”

“Alex,” Kara says, still on the verge of panic, so Alex sits beside her and gathers her into her arms. “She stepped in front of me. She dared Reign to go through her to get to me.”

“Who did?” Alex asks gently, stroking Kara’s hair.

“Lena,” Kara says plaintively. “Lena risked her life, against a force that was destroying me, to save me.”

“I seem to remember you doing the same for her…oh once every three months,” Alex teases.

“But that’s what I’m supposed to do! I’m Supergirl. I can’t… I can’t let her risk her life for me.”

“You can’t make Lena’s choices for her,” Alex says quietly, and Kara begins to sob.

“Felicity did the same thing on Earth-1. She put herself between me and the Nazis, and I couldn’t stand it. I can’t… No one else can die because of me.”

Alex sighs and gently kisses Kara’s head. “You can’t make anyone’s choices for them, Kara. And this… It’s not about just Supergirl. You give people hope; you make them brave enough to stand up with you. Don’t take that away from them.”

Exhausted, confused, heartbroken, Kara can only cry in her sister’s arms. Alex, as always, holds her close.


End file.
